Health Information Management (HIM) And Health Informatics

After decades of paper based medical records, a new type of record keeping has surfaced - the Electronic Health Record (EHR). EHR is an electronic or digital format concept of an individual’s past and present medical history. It is the principle storage place for data and information about the health care services provided to an individual patient. It is maintained by a provider over time and capable of being shared across different healthcare settings by network-connected information systems. Such records may include key administrative and clinical data relevant to that persons care under a particular provider. Examples of such records may include: demographics, physician notes, problems or injuries, medications and allergies, vital

Healthcare systems are highly complex, fragmented, and use multiple information technology systems and vendors who incorporate different standards resulting in inefficiency, waste, and medical errors (Healthinformatics, 2016). A patient 's medical information often gets trapped in silos, which prevents information from being shared with members of the healthcare community (Healthinformatics, 2016). With increasing healthcare costs, a system needed to be created that would lead to the development and nationwide implementation of an interoperable health information technology system to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare. Introducing the National Health Information Network (NHIN), this organization can be defined as a set of

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a recognized, respected association of health information management (HIM) professionals worldwide. Founded in 1928, AHIMA has become a respected authority for professional education and training in the effective management of health data and medical records needed to deliver quality healthcare to the public. Throughout AHIMA’s history back to 1928, the American College of Surgeons established the Association of Record Librarians of North America (ARNLA) to “elevate the standards of clinical records in hospitals and other medical institutions” (www.ahima.org, 2015). Since its formation, the Association has undergone several name changes in its evolution of the profession. In 1938 the Association changed its name to the American Association of Medical Record Librarians (AAMRL) for a more concise representation. When the Association became the American Medical Record Association in 1970, health information professionals had increased their involvement in hospitals, community health centers, and other health service facilities. As the health industry continues to evolve, the Association changed its name in 1991 to American Health Information Management Association to capture the expanded scope of clinical data beyond medical records to health information comprising the entire continuum of care.

Health information technology (HIT) is revolutionizing the way we interact with health-related data. One example of this is the obvious rise in

Health Information Exchange (HIE) supports both transferring and sharing of health related information that is usually stored in multiple organizations, while maintaining the context and integrity of the information being exchanged (HIE, 2014). The goal of health information exchange is to expedite access to and retrieve clinical data to provide safe efficient, effective, equitable, timelier patient-centered care (HIE, 2014). HIE “provides access and retrieval of patient information to authorized users in order to provide safe, efficient, effective, and timely patient care” (HIE, 2014).

The principal utilization of health informatics began in the 1950s with dental information gathered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Utilization accelerated in subsequent decades which gave a standard programming language to clinical applications. Today, the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) oversees member organizations involved in health informatics worldwide. (Rouse, 2010). The potential for health IT to enhance the safety of health care delivery has been regarded for quite a long time. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act,

LaTour, K. M., Eichenwald, S., & Oachs, P. K. (2013). Health Information Management (4th ed.). Chicago, Illinois: American

AHIMA recognizes that superior quality health care and clinical data are critical resources needed for effective healthcare, and works to assure that the health information used in care, research, and health management is valid, accurate, complete, trustworthy, and timely. This group is concerned about the effective management of health information from all sources and its application in all forms of healthcare and wellness preservation. Health issues, disease, and care quality also transcend across national borders. AHIMA’s professional interest is in the application of best health information management practices when and wherever they are needed. (The American Health Information Management Association, 2010).

It has only been within the last five years that health information management (HIM) has experienced exponential changes, due to the healthcare reform. The electronic health record (EHR) is connected to health information exchanges and other systems of interoperability. The timely completion of charts, coding and release of information (ROI) has become much more efficient with the electronic record. Traditional HIM functions will just be transformed and will always be an integral part of successful patient care. Professionals must be flexible and willing to adapt and even generate change. As Health Information Technology continues to evolve, so will the roles

The American Health Information Management Association continues to lead many health care professionals and 52 component states associations with effective health data management, training, and professional

When I first enrolled in BMI 5300: Introduction to Biomedical Informatics class, I was very eager and excited to learn the role of biomedical informatics in healthcare organizations and the importance of data capture and analysis in improving public health. One of the major misconceptions I had was that this course would not cover wide range of factors influencing the biomedical informatics field. Much to my surprise, the course provided a comprehensive analysis of factors related to biomedical informatics, including but not limited to EHR systems, interfaces, Health Information Exchanges, Meaningful Use (MU) requirements, and controlled medical vocabularies such as Logical Observation Identifiers Names and

Health Information Exchange is the electronic movement of healthcare information amongst organizations according to the national standards. HIE as it is widely known, serves the purpose of providing a safe, timely, and efficient way of accessing or retrieving patient clinical data. Health Information Exchange allows for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other vital healthcare professionals to have appropriate access and securely share vital medical information regarding patient care. Health Information Exchange has been in efforts of developing for over 20 years in the United States. In 1990 the Community Health Management Information Systems (CHMIS) program was formed by the Hartford Foundation to foster a development of a centralized data repository in seven different geographically defined communities. Many of the communities struggled in securing a cost-effective technology with interoperable data sources and gaining political support. In the mid-1990s a similar initiative began known as the Community Health Information Networks (CHINs) with the intention of sharing data between providers in a more cost-effective manner. In 2004, the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research Health Information Technology Portfolio was funded $166 million in grants and contracts to improve the quality and safety to support more patient-centered care. This was the beginning of the progress we have seen in HIE today. Health Information Exchange devolvement serves the purpose of improving

The use of technology in healthcare has greatly increased and grown, including the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic medical records (EMRs). With the vast influx of data, the need for consistent gathering of patient data in an organized manner is crucial for patient care. Big data does not only consist of volume but different varieties and formats as well (i.e. diagnostic images, objective, and subjective data). The American Hospital Association conducted a survey revealing an increase of electronic health records (EHRs) doubling from 2009 to 2011 (Murdoch & Detsky, 2013). Murdoch and Detsky (2013) expressed this data is often perceived as a result of health care instead of essential to the health care process.

Demographic shifts in the global population, greater levels of technological disruption due to the Internet, social media and the en masse adoption of smartphones and tablet PCs are together re-defining the healthcare informatics market. System and informatics theories have emerged as the foundational elements of healthcare informatics supported by the Data, Information. Knowledge (DIK) Model which acts as a taxonomy for these developments (Haugh, 2005). Systems and informatics theories along with the DIK Model form the ontological foundations of healthcare informatics field of research occurring today and will continue to provide a basis for further research (Braganza, 2004). The intent of this analysis is to evaluate the contributions of systems and informatics, the role of the DIK Model, expert systems in nurse care and medicine, and the use of decision aids and decision support systems. All of these elements are critically important to strategic information systems plans healthcare providers put into place to serve patients while giving healthcare professionals the applications, systems and software they need to excel in their roles (Djellal, Gallouj, 2007).

What is health informatics in Canadian health system? Health informatics transforms health care by assessing, analyzing, integrating, and applying health communication and informational systems (Anderson, 2007). Health informatics schemes are funded federally and implemented provincially in Canada with each province creating its own dynamic programs to help improve both the population and individuals health outcomes, enhance patient’s care and to strengthen the patients-caregiver relationship (Anderson, 2007) . Such programs are Ehealth Ontario, and Alberta Netcare. Electron Health Records (EHR) and Electronic Medical Records are usually used exchangeable (Gartee, 2011). EMR servers as a data source for EHR; it usually contains patient’s medical records and usually found in an ambulatory or acute health facilities. While EHR is the sum of the entire patient’s life history of his or her health records from different sources, which is usually kept in an institution such as an integrated delivery network facility where most health care providers can guarantee access (Gartee, 2011). This literature review is intended to amalgamate the key barriers of electronic health records in the Canadian healthcare system and to overcome these barriers for a successful implementation among the public and policy makers.